The Nominees Are In: Denzel Washington, Viola Davis Announced Among Diverse List Of Oscar Contenders

Mahershala Ali, Naomie Harris, Ruth Negga and Octavia Spencer were also announced among the list of nominees.

The 2017 Oscar nominations for the 89th Academy Awards were announced Tuesday morning alongside much anticipation after the backlash of subsequent years’ #OscarsSoWhite campaigns.

Actors and actresses of color were celebrated this year in a major push to acknowledge the layers of diversity in Hollywood.

Announcements broke from normal tradition, as the names were announced via live feed broadcasted on morning news shows such as Good Morning America. Announcers of color included Gabby Sidibe, Jennifer Hudson and Terrence Howard.

Moonlight, one of the film industry’s darlings, broke out as one of this year’s most celebrated movies. The film secured a Best Picture nod and was also nominated for film editing and original score, while director Barry Jenkins received a nomination in the Best Director category. Breakout star Mahershala Ali, who enjoyed heightened success in 2016 with appearances in Luke Cage and Hidden Figures, secured a Best Supporting Actor nomination. Ali’s co-star Naomie Harris was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her role as the broken matriarch.

Denzel Washington secured a nomination for Best Actor for his stirring role as Troy Maxson in August Wilson’s award winning-play turned feature, Fences. Viola Davis, who gave an equally riveting performance playing opposite Washington, secured a nomination for Best Supporting Actress. The film will also go up against Moonlight for Best Picture and Adapted Screenplay.

Ruth Negga was nominated for Best Actress in Loving for her portrayal of Mildred Loving. Mildred, along with her husband Richard, challenged the interracial marriage laws that paved the way for a landmark Supreme Court ruling.

Groundbreaking blockbuster Hidden Figures secured a Best Picture nomination, along with Octavia Spencer, who was nominated in the Best Supporting Actress category for her role as NASA scientist, Dorothy Vaughan.

The documentary feature category saw a diverse list of nominees, including Ava Duvernay’s13th, a deep dive on the formation of the criminal justice system. ESPN’s O.J.: Made in America also secured a nomination, along with I Am Not Your Negro, an examination of race in America, told through the lens of novelist James Baldwin.